China's president, Xi Jinping, led the cheerleading about the political symbolism and business benefits of the ribbon of steel and concrete linking the former British colony Hong Kong and the once Portugese-held Macau.

Instead, before an audience of top officials including the Vice Premier Han Zheng and Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam, Xi said his piece at the strategically located port of Zhuhai and left the podium as electronic fireworks flailed about on a television in the background.

Representatives of constructors and engineers pose for a group photo after the opening ceremony. Just 300 permanent permits are available for Hong Kong residents making the trip to Macau, and permits to mainland China are only granted to individuals who meet certain criteria, such as having donated to charities on the mainland or being employed at a "recognized high tech enterprise".

A 4-mile (6.4 kilometre) underwater tunnel connects two artificial islands, which help support the structure. This master plan seeks to mold a region of sprawling cities and a manufacturing powerhouse into what he calls a "Great Bay Area" to rival New York, Tokyo and San Francisco. The Pearl River area in Guangdong province has been a center of economic development in China for 40 years. The previously four-hour drive between Zhuhai and Hong Kong will now take 45 minutes.

A view of the bridge from Zhuhai.

"A bridge spanning over the bay used to be my wild fancy, to make Hong Kong fully exert its commercial radiating potential", said Gordon Ying Sheung Wu, a Hong Kong businessman.

The bridge's two main pylons.

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The bridge had been under construction for almost 10 years.

Aerial views of the eastern island in Hong Kong waters.

Few in Hong Kong see it that way.

Its construction is said to have depleted the number of dolphins in Hong Kong and they can no longer be found in the waters around the bridge.

The bridge, a joint effort by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, was hailed by Frank Chan, Hong Kong's Transport Secretary, on Friday as "instrumental in enhancing the flow of people, goods and capital, as well as technological collaboration within the region".

With the bridge officially open to public traffic Wednesday, a coach service will link the three destinations. There is no rail link. "It is all telling Hong Kong that you are part of China, you are very much part of it, and you can't get out of it".

Some have argued the bridge was not needed, with other well-established transportation links existing. All three jurisdictions will also require passengers to clear immigration and customs.

The Chinese white dolphin, an endangered species that was once most abundant in the Pearl River Delta region, has also been threatened by the construction of the new bridge and other development projects in the area.

The Hong Kong government has issued 10,000 permits for private cars, in which 5000 permits will be issued after its opening.

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